That Shrinking Feeling
by Popperlolli
Summary: Another character shrinks...But this time, it's taken a step farther.
1. Chapters 1 to 3

Allo

These are chapters 1, 2, and 3. Each chapter is kinda short, so Im posting several at a time. My story is finished, I just have yet to type it all up. The rest hopefully, will be typed and posted soon. Enjoy!

-Alex

That Shrinking Feeling

Chapter 1 – Curious Children

"Nah, no way! He tried cooking?!" Conan laughed, the small detective amused by the girls story.

"Yes…he set off every smoke alarm in the house" Ai said, not all that amused. "Mind you, it's been a while since the Professor has tried cooking, plus it was an unusual recipe."

"Ah, that explains it" said Conan. The two of them had just parted the other three Detective Boys, and continued walking home after a day of grade school.

"Hmm…Ai? I've been wondering, about APTX 4869, that drug you made…"

"What about it?"

"Since so far, we have only seen what it does to two people of roughly the same age, I wonder what would happen if an older person took it?"

"What are you getting at?" Ai asked, concerned yet curious.

"Say someone like…Dr. Agasa took the drug, for example. Would he actually turn into a kid? The other two possibilities are it reverses the affects of ageing ten years, or merely shrinks the person."

"Why does it matter?" Ai asked, not knowing why he was asking this, as she had never given the drug much thought in this point of view.

"Well, if Agasa's age was reversed ten years, he would look to be in his forties. If he was shrunk, wouldn't he still have grey hair, but be short?" Conan explained. Ai couldn't help but giggle slightly.

"Third, would be that he looked young _and_ small, thus being turned into a child. It's hard to tell which happened to us, since we were young to begin with" Conan finished.

"You have an excellent point" said Ai, deep in thought on this new concept. "It could actually help me find a possible antidote."

"It might!" exclaimed the detective, his eyes bright with almost childlike excitement. "Oh, and another question…Ai?" Conan asked.

"Hmm?" Ai said, as her little bubble of deep thought suddenly popped.

"What would happen if someone were to take _two _of the APTX 4869 pills?" Conan asked, concerned and curious.

"Guaranteed death, I suppose" Ai said, quite sure of herself.

"What if they had shrunk like us?" Conan asked.

"Odds are, neither of them would be shrinking pills. If one of them was, then the other would still kill them."

"No, but like, if _both _of them were shrinking pills?" Conan asked, getting slightly frustrated. A passerby on the sidewalk glanced at the two children, overhearing a slight part of this strange conversation, then smiled and continued walking.

"I wouldn't have a clue…It'd be hard to test for, given the odds" said Ai. "Anyways, I wouldn't be too concerned, I'd say it's impossible to find out that outcome, also because we don't have a supply of our own to APTX 4869 to work with." Ai explained.

"Nor would I want it anywhere in the house, even at Agasa's place!" Conan nearly yelled in anger. He still had a hard time forgiving Ai for making such a drug in the first place.

There was a silence between the two for a moment, then Ai looked at Conan's pocket. "Isn't that your cell phone going off?"

"Oh, it is" said Conan, his anger gone almost as fast as it had appeared. He almost held up the phone to his ear, then realized it was a text message.

"Come home ASAP- Ran" Conan read aloud. "Strange, she doesn't usually send text messages. Anyways, I should hurry home. See you later, Ai." said Conan, as he bolted off. Ai merely shrugged, smiled, and then kept walking.

"See you later" she said quietly to herself.

--

Ch 2 – In the Mail

Conan walked into the Moore's apartment, calling out his usual "I'm home!", then setting his school bag on the floor.

"Hey Conan!" said Ran, greeting him. "How was school?"

"The usual" Conan said, almost yawning at the thought of how boring it was. Conan looked up at Ran, wondering what could have been so urgent to call him home sooner.

Rachel carried on, preparing dinner, although it obviously be a while before it was ready. It didn't seem like Conan needed to be home so soon. Looking at Rachel one last time, he started towards his small closet bedroom.

"Oh, Conan! Almost forgot, there's a package for you, it's in your room already!" Rachel called out from the kitchen.

"A package…?" the detective thought, opening the closet door to his small bedroom. Sure enough, there was a package waiting for him on his bed. It was a good size box, about 1.5 ft by 2 ft by 1.5 ft.

"To Mr. Edogawa" the box was addressed to, with little stick figure men bordering the address sticker.

"These men…The dancing men code?" Shinichi thought, excited, wondering if this was a gift from another Holmes' fan. He quickly decoded the pattern, reading "Open this when alone."

"That's an…Odd request…" Shinichi thought. He opened the cardboard box, lifting the flaps, gasping at what he saw.

A small child, younger then two, was sleeping inside the box. He was wearing a hat, which covered a head full of hair, along with a large sweater, but not much else by the looks of it. In the child's hand was a cell phone; around his neck, a good luck charm; and an opened chip bag off to one corner.

"Who would mail me a child, more curiously an infant?" Shinichi thought. Looking over the child again, the hat looked familiar. Conan reached out to take the hat off, when the infant suddenly woke up, looking startled.

"Don't cry, don't cry!" Conan whispered frantically, but was surprised when the infant remained quiet. The child then got to his feet, holding on to the side of the box, and he gave Conan the strangest combined look of annoyance and relief.

--

Chapter 3- Strange Child

"Kudo!" yelled the infant, with the same annoyed, yet relieved, tone.

Conan reacted by stepping back slightly, surprised that one so young could speak, let alone…Know his true name…

The infant coughed, slightly embarrassed, then quickly looked around. He picked up a pen and note pad off of Conan's desk, and started writing messages on the paper. When finished, the infant handed the paper to Conan.

"Sorry, I hate talking, I'll write instead" Conan read to himself, before looking again at the infant, who was now smiling at Shinichi, enjoying his company.

With the infant standing up, Conan got a better look at him. His appearance was oddly familiar: blue eyes; tanned skin; his hair was short, and dark…

"No wonder that hat looked familiar" Conan said, smiling as he lifted Heiji out of the box, but concern arising as he put Heiji down. Heiji was now smaller then Conan, and the only clothes with him were his now oversized sweater and favorite hat.

Heiji started writing another message, and then handed it to Conan:

"Needed help, you're the only one, had no way to get here other then to mail myself".

"Makes sense…" said Conan, wondering how long Heiji had been in the box. He then asked "Why do you write it out, rather then talk?"

"….My voice sounds too funny" said Heiji out loud, turning red in embarrassment. "It's also a little…hard to talk…Voice would still be developing at this age, I think…" Heiji said, his accent more noticeable this time.

"Did you come across the Men in Black?" Conan asked, and Heiji nodded.

"Who else would do this?" Heiji said, coughing again in embarrassment.

"Anyways, you were lucky to survive, the drug aims to kill" Conan reminded.

Heiji picked up the pen, and wrote "How many pills did they give you when you shrunk?"

"Just the one pill…Why?" Conan asked, confused. Heiji looked up at Conan, and wrote "Weird…They gave me two…Not sure the reason."

"Conan, dinner!" Rachel called from the kitchen, causing Shinichi to panic. Looking down at his friend, Conan whispered "I'll be back soon, keep quiet". Heiji nodded, and then quickly whispered "Please bring back some water when you're done?"

As Conan left, Heiji climbed back into his box, and pulled the flaps closed.


	2. Chapters 4 to 6

That Shrinking Feeling (Ch 4-6)

That Shrinking Feeling (Ch 4-6)

Chapter 4- Dinner Conversation

Conan ate as quickly as he could manage during dinner, not talking much. Ran, not fond of the silence, attempted to break it.

"So….Conan…What was in the package?" She asked casually. "Did you like it?"

Conan nearly choked, but managed to swallow the mouthful. "Oh, it was some Sherlock Holmes books, a late birthday gift from my parents" Conan lied, smiling. Just then, Conan thought he heard the toilet flush, then the tap running in the bathroom. Both Moore and Ran looked towards the hallway, and then Conan quickly mentioned "Oh, it's probably the neighbors, I heard they got a new toilet. It's kind of loud."

Conan then heard a door creak, some light footsteps, and then his bedroom door creak before the noises stopped. Luckily, Ran and Moore had not noticed these latest sounds.

"Anyways, after dinner, could I visit the Professor's house?" Conan asked Ran. "I want to show him my new books."

"I don't see why not" said Ran, smiling. "Just don't stay too late."

"I wont!" called Conan, as he hurried to the kitchen, to put his plate in the sink. He then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and returned to his room.

--

Chapter 5- Room and Board

"Back" said Conan, as he sat on the mattress for a moment, and handed Heiji the bottle of water. He had difficulty opening it, and then passed it back to Conan, whom opened it and returned it to Heiji.

"Thanks" said Heiji, in his unusual new voice. He took several gulps before stopping and replacing the lid.

"Anyways, sorry Heiji, but I don't think you can stay here. I doubt Moore will take kindly to the presence of an infant; I'm lucky he even let me stay. There is Agasa's place though; perhaps he will let you stay…

"Aww, man, not Agasa's place, not with that little girl there…The least she'll do is laugh, now that the Great Detective of the West is in diapers…She might even use me for experiments…" Heiji said. He was a little bit better at talking now, but worry was evident in his baby voice.

"She isn't _that_ bad" said Conan.

"Cant I hide here?"

"No, sorry…You'll get caught at some point, and I doubt I'll have a good explanation for it. You would have a better chance at Agasa's."

"I guess so" said Heiji, giving up on staying at Moore's.

"Anyways, does anyone else know about this?" Conan asked, and Heiji shook his head.

"I think Kazuha told my dad though, that I've gone missing or something, and chances are he sent out a search party. I sent a text message, saying 'I'm fine, call off the search, I'm hung up on a case, not sure when I'll be back.'"

"That should do, for now" said Conan, nodding his head as he thought about it. "I told Ran that I was going to Agasa's after dinner, so I'll take you over now…Oh, and I didn't call his house during dinner, so they aren't aware of this yet." Conan folded up the box flaps, got to his feet, and carried the box to the front door.

"I'm heading over now, I'll be back soon!" Conan called to Ran, as he put on his shoes, picked up the box, and left the apartment.

Once in the quiet neighborhood that Shinichi and the Professor lived in, Conan opened the box up a bit.

"Almost there?" Heiji asked, tempted to peek out.

"Just about…Hey, I just noticed, you really _are_ lightweight" Conan said, laughing.

"Shut it" Heiji whispered, as he lowered into the box and pulled one of the flaps closed.

--

Chapter 6 - Agasa's Place

About two blocks away from Agasa's house, the cardboard box flaps started rustling again, and Heiji poked his head out in a panic.

"I think I left my wallet in my pant's pocket, it had my credit card, health card….Anyone could find it, from thieves, to the Black Organization…If the Syndicate has it, there's a good chance they'll try to track me down with the information or something." Heiji explained, worried.

"Perhaps…" said Conan. "There's also a chance someone in the search party found it or something. Try calling home later, and seeing if they have it. Ah, we're here!" said Conan, opening the front gate and going inside. He went up to the doorbell, rang it twice, and both Ai and Dr. Agasa came to the door.

"Oh, I didn't think I would be seeing you again so soon, Edogawa" Ai said, surprised by his sudden visit.

"Yeah, sorry about the sudden visit, Professor" Conan said.

"No, it's alright Shinichi, anytime…What's in that box there?" the Professor asked.

Conan reopened the box to find Heiji, faking sleep, in hopes of hiding embarrassment about his current condition, as well as to avoid being centre of attention.

Conan sighed. "It's a baby….Wake up, sleepyhead, you aren't fooling anyone" said Conan, gently poking the infant's cheek.

"Why is there an infant with you? Was Ran babysitting or something?" Ai asked, as she moved a lock of hair on Heiji's face off to the side. "Aww, he's cute" said Ai, smiling, as Conan tried to suppress the urge to laugh.

"No, actually…He came in this box that I got just now, in the mail…" Conan said, feeling somewhat guilty, as if he was the sender.

"Someone _mailed you a baby_?" Ai said, shocked.

"Who would do such a thing?" gasped Agasa.

"He would" said Conan, indicating the infant, whom was still pretending to be sleeping. "Mailed himself to Moore's place in a package addressed to Conan, it was his only way of getting to Tokyo in this current situation…Alright, cut it out Heiji, I know you're awake. You never fall asleep _that_ quickly."

Heiji finally opened his eyes and sat up in his box, looking up at Conan with a 'darn you' look, then fixing his hat to cover his face.

"_That's_ Heiji!?" said Dr. Agasa, shocked.

"But…How did he get so small, if APTX 4869 only turns people into kids, not infants?" Ai asked.

"He said earlier that the organization gave him two pills." Conan answered.


	3. Chapters 7 to 9

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 7-9)

Once again, I do not own Case Closed/Detective Conan, nor any of the characters.

Enjoy!

-Alex

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 7-9)

Chapter 7- Two Pills

"But…why give him two?' said Ai, and Heiji shrugged. He thought about it for a moment, and when an idea came to him, Heiji looked around for the pen and notepad. He quickly wrote down his idea, then handed the paper to Conan.

"Perhaps the organization has been led to think that people are surviving the dose of APTX 4869, so they have increased the dosage to reduce the chance of survival" Conan read aloud off the paper.

"But Heiji lived…Meaning that the dose of two shrinking pills…" Ai thought, aloud.

"…Was enough to shrink him into an infant" Dr. Agasa finished, and Heiji nodded.

"You never mentioned why the organization wanted you dead though" Conan said, in hopes Heiji would know.

Once again, Heiji wrote down the info and passed it to Conan, whom read aloud: "Alone in the park one night, two members walked by, recognized me as a detective, and attempted to kill me, in hopes I would be one less threat to exposing them in the future."

"Seems they are trying to be more cautious" said Ai. "Normally, they don't kill for the reason of a possible or unconfirmed threat…Thanks for informing us, Heiji. By the way, can you even talk?" she asked, looking at Heiji curiously.

"He can, but not well; he prefers to write everything down" Conan explained.

"Anyways, why don't you come in?" suggested Agasa, and Conan stepped inside, kicking off his shoes. Conan then picked up the box and carried it into the kitchen.

"Aww…Haibara thinks I'm cute!" said Heiji, blushing slightly, but knowing it would bother Ai like crazy.

"Shut up, Heiji!" said Ai, smiling, with the sense of having the advantage in this situation. "Want to hear a dead baby joke?…On second thought, none of the ones I've heard were worth remembering."

"Oh, Dr. Agasa, I came here wondering if Heiji could stay at your place for the time being? I don't think Moore would let him stay at the Agency, I'm lucky he even let _me_ stay there. Plus, the fewer people who know about Heiji, the better." Conan said.

"Sure, he can stay, I don't mind" said Agasa, smiling. "Just be careful about poking your nose into cases, Heiji", Dr. Agasa reminded.

"I was minding my own business this time!" Heiji said, but it was almost difficult to understand him because of his voice. "Oh, right…Wallet" Heiji remembered.

"Heiji left his wallet behind" Conan explained. "Not sure if anyone, including the Organization, has found it, but we could call his dad later and find out…Anyways, Ran will want me home soon, I should start heading back now…Heiji, could I have that box? Rachel thinks I brought a bunch of books here, it'll look odd if I come home empty handed."

Heiji nodded, and removed his few belongings from the box. Conan picked up the box, headed for the front door, waved goodbye, and left for the night.

--

Chapter 8- Sleepless Night

Heiji spent that night on the couch in Agasa's living room, but he laid there for a while, finding it hard to sleep in an unfamiliar house. Ai was also up, as usual, working in the basement, only occasionally coming upstairs for a snack or a cup of coffee. During one of her breaks, Heiji slid off the couch and walked into the kitchen, tripping on his sweater a few times along the way.

"You can't sleep either?" Ai asked Heiji as he entered. "I don't even bother trying to sleep at this hour anymore, since I'm always working on experiments." Ai explained.

"Ah…I slept in the box earlier, so I'm not that tired…A little hungry though, I'd love a snack" said Heiji.

"Well, there are crackers, cereal, and some raw veggies; those make good late night snacks" Ai said.

"Cereal sounds good, please" said Heiji, as Ai handed him the box, then a bowl and spoon. While pouring the cereal, Heiji panicked slightly, wondering if he still had teeth, or if he had lost them when he shrunk.

"Oh good, still there" Heiji thought, relieved, as he bit down gently on his tongue. Had he lost them, his choices in foods could have been reduced considerably.

"So, what are you working on in the basement?" Heiji asked Ai casually while eating.

"The antidote for APTX, the drug that caused our shrinking condition…So far, I've only managed to find temporary antidotes, causing us to change back from anywhere between a few minutes to a day or two. Testing it is dangerous though, and the duration is shorter every times it's used" Ai explained.

"I see" said Heiji. He took a few more bites of his cereal, finishing it, and then walked over to the sink to put the dishes away; only to realize he was too small to reach.

"Here" Ai sighed, as Heiji handed her the bowl and spoon to be put in the sink, "I'll wash them later. Anyways, while you're up, you might as well try to think of a fake name for yourself, maybe a background story as well. Just incase people wonder where you're from." Ai suggested.

"True, good point. Well, I'll try sleeping again. Have a good morning" Heiji said, smiling a bit.

Ai nodded, said "good morning", and headed for the basement, while Heiji turned and walked back to the living room. He had a hard time getting back on the couch, but once up there, he pulled the blanket over himself, and fell asleep soon after.

--

Chapter 9 – Time for School

The doorbell of Agasa's house rang at around 8 that morning, as Conan had come to get Ai so they could walk to school together.

"Coming, coming!" Ai called as she hurried to the door. She was running a little late.

"That's alright…How's Heiji doing?" Conan asked, looking over to the couch, partially visible from the front door.

"He's probably still sleeping; he had a hard time falling asleep last night. He'll be awake by the time school is out, for sure" said Ai, as she left the house and closed the door behind her.

"Thinking it over though, I'm just glad he survived" Conan said, as the two children started the morning walk to school. "Like you said, taking two pills of the drug greatly increases the likely hood of dieing from it."

"It may also be harder to reverse the affect as well; I don't know how much help it would be to double the antidote." Ai said. "For the meantime, I suggested he think of a fake name and background story for himself."

"Well, he likes Ellery Queen's novels, right? Perhaps he could form a nickname from hers" Conan said.

"Hard to get a boy's name from hers, but worth a try, I guess. Oh, hello" Ai said as the Detective Boys greeted them.

"Good morning Ai, Conan!" said Ayumi, as Genta and Mitch nodded in greeting, before continuing their walk to school.


	4. Chapters 10 to 12

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 10-12)

(sorry, I'm not familiar with Japanese names…You'll see. )

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 10-12)

Chapter 10 – Name Game

Conan and Ai just finished their walk home from school, and now stood outside Agasa's house.

"Oh, before you go in, there was something I wanted to get from my house" Conan said, indicating the Kudo family's mansion behind him. "Could you wait out here? I'll only be a minute or two."

"Alright, fine, I'll wait" said Ai, sitting down on the curb while Conan ran to his house. A few minutes later, he returned.

"Luckily my parents were packrats, they kept _everything_" Conan said, smiling. Ai got up, and the two of them entered Agasa's house.

"I'm home, and Kudo-kun is here as well" Ai called, casually, as she and Conan took off their shoes.

"We're in the basement" Agasa called out to them, so Conan and Ai headed downstairs.

"What are you doing?" Ai asked, finding Agasa and Heiji at the computer, looking on the internet at a list of baby names.

"Trying to decide a fake name for Heiji" Agasa said, turning around on his wheelie chair, while Heiji, whom sat in the chair next to him, nodded.

"I was thinking earlier, if you could get a boy's name from Ellery Queen's name…She is your favorite author, right Heiji?" Conan asked.

"Well…one of my favorites" said Heiji.

"What about 'Eric'?" Ai suggested. "Sound's foreign, but we could make up a background story to cover that."

Heiji nodded. "Sure…I like it."

"Eric it is then" said Ai, as she turned, and headed upstairs.

"I'll head up too, the computer's available for your use, boys" smiled Agasa. Then he too headed upstairs.

--

Chapter 11- Forgotten Needs

The two boys looked up at the basement door as it clicked shut, and they heard Agasa walk away.

"Today was _so_ boring at school" Conan yawned, as he sat on the computer's wheelie chair. "How was your day?"

"Slept most of it" said Heiji, still a bit shy about his new voice. "I couldn't sleep last night. Ai didn't bother trying, she just worked down here." Heiji said, as he looked around at the science equipment.

"Oh, I brought you something" Shinichi said, as he reached into his school bag; he purposely brought it down to the basement with him.

After digging a bit, Conan pulled out some infant and toddler clothes.

"These used to be mine, but you can use them for now" Conan said as he piled them on the computer desk. "At least until you can buy more."

"Thanks, Kudo!" said Heiji, as he looked at some of the articles of clothing. Heiji was still wearing the same sweater that Conan found him in.

"Are those the clothes you shrank in?" Conan asked, and Heiji nodded, embarrassed.

"Yeah, they are. My pants didn't fit at all; I couldn't move around with them on, hence my wallet getting left behind. I didn't think to take it with me. Plus, I couldn't return home, not in this state, so I went directly to a nearby postal truck that was parked on the street. I found an empty box, wrote your name, address, and that code on the sticker, and climbed in. Before I knew it, I was at your place."

"That was some quick thinking" said Conan, impressed. "It took me several minutes before I even realized I had shrunk."

"Luckily, I quickly figured out what happened, because remembered what happened to you and Ai….Anyways thanks for the clothes" said Heiji. "I'll go put on a pair in the upstairs washroom."

Conan nodded, as Heiji picked up the clothes, slid off his chair, and started to head up. Seeing the trouble Heiji was having with the stairs, Conan picked him up and carried him.

"Sorry about that" said Heiji, as Conan walked up the stairs.

"Nah, don't worry about it" said Conan. "I couldn't even enter my house when I first shrunk; the gate handle was too high."

"How have you been getting in since?" Heiji asked.

"Added a string, so I could lift the handle up." Conan said.

"Good idea" Heiji said, as they entered the upstairs hallway.

--

Chapter 12- Pajamas

Heiji knocked on the door from the inside of the washroom, and Conan opened the door to let him out; as Heiji was too short to reach the handle.

"How do they fit?" Conan asked.

"Pretty good, actually. Quite comfy too" said Heiji, now wearing soccer ball pajamas in his size. "Knowing you, it's gotta be soccer" said Heiji, and Conan laughed sarcastically.

"It's weird though, that there are Organization members in Osaka. I thought they mostly stayed in Tokyo" Conan said.

"They did mostly stay in Tokyo" Ai said, as she walked out of the kitchen. "But recently, they must have decided to expand their turf to other cities in Japan as well."

"Perhaps to expand their control to other parts of the country, they do a lot of illegal business deals, right?" Heiji asked. "More money coming in if they were to spread out."

"It's possible" said Conan, as he walked towards the front door, getting his shoes on. "I should get going; Ran will want me home soon. Have a good night Ai, Heiji. Bye, Doctor Agasa!" Conan called, as the Doc was upstairs at the moment. "See you guys tomorrow."

"See ya!" Heiji called from Ai's arms, as she had carried him to the doorway.

"Shh" she whispered to Heiji. "Babies don't talk."

"I thought some did" Heiji said, confused. Neither knew much about young children.

"Well, I guess some do, when they are…How old?" Ai asked Heiji, but he shrugged.

"I don't even know how old _I _look." Heiji said.


	5. Chapters 13 to 15

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 13-15)

(There is a case coming up…sorry if it's not the best case ever.)

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 13-15)

Chapter 13- Murders and Missing Persons

Conan hurried home, probably late enough already as it was, only to find Ran and Moore getting ready to leave.

"Going somewhere?" Conan asked, as he dropped his school bag at the front door.

"Dad just got a call about a case" said Ran.

"In a park a few blocks away, a body was discovered. It's close enough to walk, so we should get going." Moore explained.

The three of them headed out, and started walking to the park. It was late in the day, and the sun was close to setting, casting long shadows on the sidewalk. Ten minutes later, they arrived in the park, which was already crowded by cops and bystanders.

"Strange, I don't recall hearing sirens or anything as I walked back from Agasa's place, and he just lives down the street." Shinichi thought, as they approached the crime scene.

"I could text Heiji about this, but I don't know if Ai or Agasa would bring him here…Plus the less the public knew about him, the better…Although since Heiji doesn't live in Tokyo, what's the harm?" Conan decided on informing Heiji, and pulled out his cell phone to text him.

"Dead body found in park. Come join investigation?" Conan's message said.

A few minutes later, Heiji responded. "Where is the park?"

"Just down the street from Agasa's. Is there any chance you can come?" Conan replied by text message.

"I'll see..." Heiji responded. A moment later, he sent another message. "Coming with Agasa and Ai, I'll be there shortly."

Conan smiled and joined the cops.

"The victim's name is Miranda Simmons" said Inspector Meguire. "She's in her mid-twenties, married, has a young son, and has lived in this area for five years. According to witnesses, she came to this park with her son often. The husband rarely came to the park with her. The son and husband are currently missing. Here's a picture of her son" Meguire said, as he passed the picture to Moore. The picture was then passed to other cops as well, but Conan couldn't manage to catch a glimpse of it.

"Hello there, Shinichi' said Agasa, as he approached from behind; carrying Heiji and Ai followed behind. Conan quickly looked around to confirm no one else heard the greeting, and then explained the details of the case.

"Could we discuss theories somewhere away from this crowd? We don't want anyone overhearing us" Ai suggested, and they all agreed on moving to a nearby park bench.

"There are a lot of gaps in this case" Heiji said, now sitting on Conan's lap. "A discovered body, and two missing people…Any mention of how long the body has been there, or how long the son and husband have been missing?"

"Her death had taken place a few hours ago, the cause was asphyxiation. Her body was left here shortly after. Estimated time of death was around 8 in the morning, suffocated by her pillow while still sleeping. I heard the husband usually leaves for work at this time, while the child and the mom stayed home." Conan explained.

"How old is this child, do you know?" Agasa asked.

"Young, I think. A picture was being passed around, but I never got the chance to look at it" Conan said.

"That complicates things a bit" said Ai.

--

Chapter 14- Ran and Eric

"There you are, Conan!" said Ran, as she walked over. "Hello Professor, hey Ai!" Ran said, greeting them. Then she looked down and smiled. "Oh, who's this?" Ran asked, indicating the infant.

"Oh, this is Eric" said Agasa. "I'm just babysitting him for a bit, his parents are out for the evening. They're neighbors of mine" Agasa added quickly, making up a story. "He was dropped off by his mother an hour ago" the Doc said, when he noticed his story almost matched up with the victims in the case.

"Aww, he's cute!" said Ran, as she picked Heiji up. "Hello Eric" she said, tickling Heiji's cheek. He turned red in embarrassment, but fortunately, Ran didn't notice.

"How old is he?" Ran asked.

"A year and a half, I think." Agasa said.

"Aww" Ran said again, smiling, and she passed Heiji back to Conan. "He looks familiar though, like…The boy in the photo being passed around…" Ran said, thinking. Heiji let out a sigh of relief, since she didn't mention his name.

"Don't worry; he's not the same child." Conan said, his smile reassuring Ran.

"I guess you're right…Well, I'm going back to join my dad again. Nice to see you again, Professor, Ai. Nice to meet you, Eric!" Rachel said, smiling to Heiji, and then walking away.

"She's so nice to kids" Heiji said, almost dreamily.

"Except when she has enforce some rules on me" Conan complained.

"I guess…I'm not an ideal person for babysitting, if you know what I mean" said Heiji, nodding his head.

"Neither am I, really" said Ai, agreeing.

"I like children" said Doctor Agasa. "Never had kids though of my own though."

"It's ironic, that when you finally have children living with you, they happen to be teenagers" Heiji said, laughing a bit.

"Oh well, that's the way it is, I guess" said Agasa, shrugging his shoulders.

--

Chapter 15- Case Talk

Conan, Heiji, Ai and Agasa continued talking about the possible theories on the case. Every so often, Conan or Ai would go over and question the police, then come back and tell the group what they were told.

The cops meanwhile, occasionally compared Heiji to the picture of the little boy, only to have Ran reassure them it wasn't the same child. After a while, Ran got a call on her cell phone. She was standing too far away for Conan to eavesdrop, but her expression worried Shinichi. A few minutes later, she hung up, and then walked over to Conan, whom was still on the bench with his group.

"Conan, I'm just wondering, have you heard from Heiji lately?" Ran asked.

"I've gotten some text messages from him and stuff…Why, Ran?" Conan said.

"Kazuha just called. She's gotten texts from him as well, but no actual calls. She also hasn't seen him in days, and has no idea where he is." Ran explained, also concerned.

"He's probably out on a case, just like Shinichi" Conan said. "Hopefully, he'll be back soon, or at least call her."

"Yeah, you're right…Anyways, if you hear from him, tell him to call Kazuha" Ran said, as she turned and walked back to her dad.

"Weird, I wonder why she doesn't stay over here with us?" Conan thought.

"Heiji, are you okay?" said Ai, looking over to the infant on Conan's lap. "You look…pale."

"I'm fine; I'm just worried about Kazuha." Heiji said, his tone sounding sad through his baby voice.

"Just call her when you get back to Agasa's place" said Shinichi, smiling. "She'll feel a lot better if she hears your voice."

"I'll be right back" said Ai to Agasa, and she went to ask the police more questions. It was hard to see her as she walked away, and nighttime fell around them. The only lights in the park were the lamps along the path, and the flashlights that the police carried.

"The reason I texted people was because my voice was different…I even texted you the other day to hurry to Ran's place" Heiji said, blushing a bit. He really didn't like to think about his new voice.

"I figured that was you…Ran rarely text messages me. Anyways, later, I'll lend you my voice changer so that Kazuha can at least sort of hear your voice." Conan said.

"Thanks, Kudo" said Heiji, smiling slightly, just as Ai came back after the questioning.

"The police are about to start searching for the boy and his dad" said Ai. "They're just organizing the searchers."

"Alright…I believe the murderer is her father in law…" said Conan, much to the surprise of Ai and Agasa.

"Why do you think it was her father in law?" Agasa asked.

"I heard he's the closest family member, living just a few streets away. Also, he would know the habits of the family, possibly work schedules, and even have a key to the house. He could have taken the little boy with him, regardless of intentions, and the boy is probably at his place." Conan explained.

"Where would the dad be?" Ai asked this time.

"He's work, most likely, if his hours were long. If contacted by police, he could be scared for being pinned as a suspect, and avoid coming home." Heiji explained, thinking along the same line as Shinichi.

"Why would he murder his daughter-in-law?" Agasa asked.

"Out of shame." Conan said. "She had a past, and although she has changed her ways since, the father in law didn't want his son married to her."

"Is there any proof that it was the father in law?" asked Agasa.

"The child should be at his house. This is unusual, because the in-law wouldn't have any toys or supplies for young children. Had the little boy gone to the in-law's house often, there would be stuff in the house to look after him." Conan finished.

"Are you going to present your deductions in your usual manner?" Ai asked.

"I could…But different times call for different measures" said Conan. "I'll tell them what I think, and they could look into it, also because I could be missing some details" Conan said.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to mess up your reputation if you were wrong" Heiji joked. "Then again, I think I could let you off this one time, given the fact we couldn't do much investigating firsthand."

"I could go explain what our group has concluded" said Agasa, standing up. "It's worth a shot at least telling them."

"Sure" said Conan, and Heiji agreed. "I'm just hoping at this point that the little boy is alright."

--

Authors note: Wow, this is A LOT longer then I thought it'd be…Sorry if Kudo seemed too laid back about this case, normally he doesn't solve it in this fashion…Still, I felt a Case Closed/Detective Conan fanfic needs a case of some sort.


	6. Chapters 16 to 18

No, I do not own Case Closed/Detective Conan, nor any of the characters

No, I do not own Case Closed/Detective Conan, or any of the characters. Enjoy!

-Alex

That Shrinking Feeling (Chapters 16-18)

Chapter 16- Night Over

Within an hour, thanks to the group effort of Shinichi, Heiji, Ai and

Dr. Agasa, the little boy was found at the father in-laws, safe and sound; while the father came home from work, not knowing what had happened. The in-law got life imprisonment for first degree murder, and the case was closed.

"Funny how the in-law is now an outlaw" Heiji joked as he thought about it, now sitting on a couch next to Conan in Agasa's living room, joined by Dr. Agasa and Ai. While listening to the others talk, Conan appeared to be staring intently at a vase that stood on the coffee table. He wasn't actually staring at it, but found it a neutral object to focus his eyes on while in thought.

"It's a bit of a shame that we couldn't solve the case in the usual manner…but at least Moore didn't get false credit this time." Conan said, satisfied that the case did get solved.

"True" said Heiji, still laughing.

"No more candy for the baby" Ai said, noticing Heiji's hyperness. After a few moments, Heiji finally calmed down.

"Anyways, I figure Moore's rep is still pretty good, and since he was at least part of the investigation, there shouldn't be any damage done to it" said Conan, as he leaned back against the couch.

"Oh, Kudo, could I borrow your voice changer for a sec?" asked the infant sitting next to Conan. "I just wanna make some quick phone calls."

"Sure" said Conan, as he took off his bowtie and handed it to Heiji.

"Thanks" said Heiji, as he slid off the couch to the floor, and walked to the kitchen.

"Dr. Agasa, is it okay if I spend the night here?" Conan asked. "I can call Ran in a few minutes and let her know; it's late enough that I might as well."

"The night feels young to me" said Ai, now working on a word search puzzle book.

"Sure, you can stay" said Agasa. "I'll go upstairs and get some blankets for you."

"Thanks" said Conan, smiling, making a quick call to Ran on his cell phone, to let her know about his (change of) plans.

"Done with the calls" said Heiji, as he re-entered the room. He walked over to the couch, attempted to get on it, but Conan got off the couch and helped Heiji up.

"Thanks" said Heiji, and he handed the bowtie back to Conan. Agasa re-entered the room as well, now holding a blanket and pillow.

"I assume you're sleeping in here?" Agasa asked, and Conan nodded, smiling. "Sure!" Conan answered.

"You're staying here for the night, Kudo? Sweet" said Heiji, happily.

"Whatever" said Ai, as she put down the word search and got up. "I'll be in the basement. Good night, guys" she said, and headed downstairs.

"Well, I'm off to bed" said Dr. Agasa, yawning as he stood up. "There are snacks in the kitchen if you want anything to eat. Well, goodnight."

"Good night, professor" Conan and Heiji said, almost in unison.

"What day is it tomorrow…er…today?" Heiji asked, looking at the clock and seeing it was past midnight.

"Saturday, which means no school today" said Conan.

"Good. Any chance you could help me with something tomorrow morning?" Heiji asked and Conan nodded.

"Awesome" said Heiji. They continued talking for a while, discussing cases, catching up on each other a bit; then eventually turning off the light and going to bed.

--

Chapter 17- Packing

"I'll probably need some snacks, and a bottle of water…Where are those granola bars?" Heiji asked Conan, as the two of them dug through the kitchen cupboards the following morning. The sun shone brightly through the kitchen window for a few moments, then disappeared behind a cloud.

"Good morning" said Agasa as he entered, followed by Ai.

"What are you two doing?" Ai asked, as she seated herself at the table and poured herself some coffee.

"It's high time I head back to Osaka" Heiji said, pulling his head out of the cupboard and closing the door. "I figure I should fess up to my parents, ya know? That way, they don't have to worry…I might tell Kazuha, but I'm still debating on it. I'll try to see if there are other organization members in Osaka as well. You guys are awesome, but I feel the need to stay in Osaka."

"I figured I should help him pack, since that's the case" said Conan, adding two water bottles to a new, slightly larger, cardboard box, which already contained Heiji's new baby clothes, his cell phone, his hat, teenage sweater, and the granola bars.

"I could probably just mail myself home, since I mailed myself here in the first place; it didn't seem to take too long" said Heiji, as he wrote down his address on a sticker and stuck it on the box. "Kudo, did you find the stamps?" Heiji called out, and a moment later, Conan returned with them, and then added some to the package.

"Plus, I don't want to trouble anyone with airline fares, legal documents, or long car rides" said Heiji.

"Alright, if you insist" said Agasa, who would have been willing to drive him, even though it was across the country.

"Are you sure it will work?" Ai asked. "They have sensors and stuff to look for illegal packages.

"I figure I'll be fine, if its mostly metal detectors they use, since there wont be anything metal with me in the box" said Heiji, smiling. Heiji closed up the box, and then Conan picked Heiji up, placed him on a higher chair, and then sat down next to him on a lower chair for breakfast.

The four of them waited outside Agasa's place for the mail truck to come along. When it did, they quickly said farewell to Heiji, put the last strip of tape on the box, and then gave it directly to the post office truck driver, whom accepted it, and placed it in the back along with the mail.

--

Chapter 18 - On the Road

The box felt more cramped then last time, because of the extra items traveling with him, yet at the same time, more comfortable. Heiji reached behind him, grabbed a water bottle, managed to open it, but ended up spilling some water on his face before he could take a sip. "Oh well" he thought; "I'm better prepared now then I was last time."

He replaced the lid on the container, then dug out his cell phone from under the clothes, flipped it open, then saw he had a new message.

"Oh, it's from Kudo" Heiji thought, then read the message.

"Where are you now, do you know?" Shinichi's message asked.

Heiji responded. "Not sure, but I can hear an engine thrumming. Also kind of cold in here, inside an airplane, I think." Heiji sent the message, and Conan responded only minutes later.

"Checked possible flights, I think the plane you are on left an hour and a half ago. You should be in Osaka soon."

"Thanks Kudo" Heiji responded again. It comforted him that, in a way, he had someone to talk to during the flight. He didn't dare speak aloud though, not knowing if an airline staff member was in the cargo hold with him or not. Heiji checked his watch, and it read 10:44pm. Twenty minutes later, Heiji could feel the plane land on the ground, and eventually, feel his box getting moved from the plane, to a luggage vehicle, then soon to a mail truck.

"If I came to the airport that I think I did, I should be about twenty-five minutes from home." Heiji thought. The truck had some drop-offs to make, but forty minutes later, Heiji felt his box being picked up, carried a few feet, and placed back on the ground. Then the footsteps disappeared into the distance, the truck door closed, and Heiji heard the engine start up as the truck pulled away, down the street.

Heiji waited a bit, and then realized his parents were not coming to the door.

"I guess the mailman didn't want to ring the door bell…Makes sense, considering it's now past midnight. I guess I'll take a nap and wait for my dad to find me on the doorstep" Heiji thought, as he stretched, rolled over to his side, and then fell asleep.

--

Editors note: Almost done The ending will need some slight additions to it, but I'm more or less done. Like what's posted so far? Hopefully, the ending will be awesome for you people, thanks for reading so far!


	7. Chapters 19 to 21

I don't own Case Closed/Detective Conan, nor any of the characters

I don't own Case Closed/Detective Conan, nor any of the characters.

These 3 chapters are rather long. Oh and I've changed Moore's name to his Japanese name of Kogoro. I'll soon edit his name to either Moori or Kogoro in the previous chapters. Enjoy!

-Alex

That Shrinking Feeling Chapters 19-21

Chapter 19 – Way Home

A while later, Heiji felt his box shake a bit, heard it torn open, and heard his parents talking about something. Heiji was still half asleep, but figured it was easier to fake sleeping for now. His now open box, with him still inside, was carried upstairs and put on a bed in the spare bedroom. When his dad left, Heiji managed to get out of the box, sneak into the bathroom, then instead of returning to the box, he entered into his own bedroom. It had been more or less left the same, but he noticed his wallet sitting on his desk (he forgot to ask about his wallet in his phone calls). With a sigh of relief, he climbed into his own bed and slept for a few more hours.

Around ten that morning, Heiji woke up, but decided to lay in bed for a bit. After a while, he heard his dad coming up the stairs.

"Just checking on him" Mr. Hattori called downstairs to his wife, and then entered the guest room. He came out a moment later, confused and slightly panicked.

"Where did that baby go?" he said, looking around the bedroom and in the hallway.

Heiji delayed a moment, and then called out "I'm in here."

Martin stopped for a moment, thinking the voice he heard was the baby's…thinking how weird it was a baby could talk…and how familiar the voice was.

He took a few steps forward, entering his son's room, and found the infant sitting in Heiji's bed; wearing Heiji's hat and looking exactly like Heiji, but smaller.

"Sorry I didn't come home right away" Heiji said, sounding a bit ashamed. "I didn't think it was the right thing to do, so I waited until now."

"…Heiji?" his dad asked, and Heiji nodded, looking up at his dad, whom was standing in the bedroom's doorway.

"What happened?" his dad said, hurrying in and kneeling beside the bed. "Why are you so small?" Normally his dad's seriousness was job oriented; this strong concern for his son was unusual.

Heiji began to explain. "That night, when I disappeared, I was in the park, just minding my own business, when two men, dressed in black, hit me from behind, and forced me to take a strange drug. Normally, this drug would kill the person who took it, but it has occasionally shrunk people into kids…I know, I probably sound crazy…"

"How do you know about this drug?" Mr. Hattori asked, looking worried and confused.

"Because two friends of mine have been affected by this drug, and were turned into kids themselves. The guy, Kudo, the one I talk about a lot; he's one of them. When I realized I had been shrunk too, I came up with a plan to mail myself to Tokyo, knowing only Kudo could help me. I stayed there the last few days, then mailed myself back here yesterday morning."

Heiji could smell breakfast cooking downstairs. Even though he was starving, he managed to resist.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hattori couldn't figure out which was stranger: a talking baby, or the fact his grown son had shrunk back into a baby.

"Why did those men want you dead? Mr. Hattori asked, slowly making sense of this information.

"They are part of an organization that deals with illegal trades and such. If they need someone dead, they'll sometimes use the drug, APTX 4869, to kill, because this drug can't be traced on the body. Lately, if the Organization even sees someone as a possible threat, such as a detective or a suspicious cop, they'll kill that person to avoid future problems." Heiji said.

"I see" said Mr. Hattori. "Didn't you also mention your friends were turned to kids? Why are you an infant?"

"Getting to that. Usually, the Organization would give one pill to a victim, but lately they have been giving _two_ pills; because rumors of survivors were beginning to spread. Luckily, both pills I got were shrinking pills, but their combined defect caused me to shrink past child size and become an infant. Had one of the pills not had the shrinking defect, I would have died" Heiji said. "Also, I need to keep my identity a secret, so that the Organization doesn't find out I'm alive, and hunt me down. Since I know about their existence, they'll want me dead."

"Is there an antidote for this um…condition? Mr. Hattori asked.

"Sort of…" said Heiji. "The girl who shrunk is a scientist. While I stayed in Tokyo, she'd be up all night, just working in the basement on a cure. So far, it's been tested a few times on Kudo, and he would return to normal from a few hours to a day or two. But currently, there's no permanent antidote." Heiji explained.

"Then how come you sounded normal when you called?" Mr. Hattori asked.

"I borrowed Kudo's voice changer. I never tried the antidote, also because we weren't sure how much it would actually help me; since I shrank farther then they did. I'd probably need twice the antidote for it to do anything." Heiji said.

"I see…Well, I'm just glad you're home safe, Heiji, your mom's been so worried. You should probably have breakfast, and we can explain to her meanwhile what you just told me" Mr. Hattori said, as he picked up his son and carried him downstairs.

--

Chapter 20- Babysitter

A few days after Heiji had come home, things were more or less back to the norm at his place. The only tell-tale signs of difference were the high chair in the kitchen, and more stepping stools around the house then usual. Neither baby toys nor baby care items were visible; but rather books, a computer, videogames, and magazines.

Heiji spent most of his time at home, watching the news on TV, talking to Kudo on the phone, or pestering his dad on the latest cases. One weekend though in particular was a bit different then normal.

"There's been a case in another city, and I've been asked to help with the investigation" said Mr. Hattori that Saturday afternoon. "Even though it's not far from here, your mother and I will be staying there a day or two. She's coming to visit friends in that area. I don't want to take you, given your situation, but I can't leave you either. It's against the law to leave children at home alone. The only option is to find you a sitter."

"What!?" Heiji yelled. His size was embarrassing enough already, the last thing he wanted was a babysitter.

"Well, I could at least ask Kazuha, so it'll be someone you know; she might accept." Mr. Hattori said.

"True" said Heiji, noticing he hadn't seen her since he shrunk, and was starting to feel bad for it.

"I'll call Kazuha then" said Mr. Hattori, as he picked up the phone and dialed her number.

Mr. Hattori approached the house, carrying Heiji and a bag of Heiji's belongings. He rang the door bell, and Kazuha appeared a short time later.

"Hello, Mr. Hattori" Kazuha greeted. "Hello there…What's your name?" she said, indicating the infant as she leaned forward and smiled.

"This is Eric; he's a second cousin of Heiji's. He's visiting from Canada with his family, but I was hoping he could stay here a few days, since my wife, cousins, and I will be out of town. He has no allergies, and he's well behaved; I don't think he'll be much trouble" Mr. Hattori explained.

In the early summer heat, Heiji could hear the cicadas in the distance, and then he remembered that summer vacation just started. He looked down to see a small inchworm on his light blue pajama sleeve, and he gently flicked it off. "Lots of bugs" Heiji thought.

"Sure, I can look after him" said Kazuha, as Mr. Hattori passed Heiji and his belongings over to her.

"Thanks so much!" said Mr. Hattori; about to start walking back to his car.

"No problem…Say, any idea when Heiji will be back? I haven't heard much from him." Kazuha said.

"I bet he'll let you know soon" Mr. Hattori said, smiling a rare smile, on the way back to his car. He got in, called 'Take care!' out the window, waved, and drove off.

"Mr. Hattori seems a lot…friendlier…I wonder why" Kazuha thought. "Oh well, I'll get you settled in, Eric" Kazuha said aloud, smiling at him as she went in her house and closed the front door.

--

Chapter 21- Kazuha

Kazuha placed Heiji down on the couch next to her, handed him an old baby toy of hers that she had found in her room, and then channel surfed on TV. She would often glance at Heiji, whom pretended to have interest in the toy so as to not worry her. Once she found a decent movie that wouldn't bother a young child, she sat down and watched it.

After a while, since Heiji was so quiet, Kazuha seemed to forget he was there. He wasn't surprised through, since she had been so used to Heiji after all these years. Because it was still technically Heiji she was sitting next to, and not a stranger, Kazuha felt oddly normal next to the infant, and not knowing why.

"Gah…this movie's boring, I've seen it before" Heiji thought. He noticed that Kazuha's house also had a word search puzzle book, along with a pen, on the coffee table. Kazuha didn't notice when the infant picked up the book and started working on it. After he found a few words, he got bored of the puzzle and started writing random doodles and words in the empty space beside the word list. When the space was filled, without thinking, he tapped the book a few times with his pen, which got Kazuha's attention.

"What are you doing? Attempting a word search?" Kazuha asked, gently pulling the book and pen out of Heiji's hands; he didn't resist.

"Word searches aren't for infants….Wow, you actually found a few words!" said Kazuha, surprised. "Let's see if I find any" she said, looking at the word list, and finding it hard to read with the doodles surrounding it.

"Did you start this puzzle, Eric? I don't recall working on this page" Kazuha said. She read over the word list again, when a little doodle in the bottom right corner of the page caught her eye. She read the words 'I missed you, Kazuha', which was circled to separate it from the other doodles. Another doodle was also circled, and it appeared to say 'Heiji' in fancy letters, as if he was practicing his signature.

"This is too odd…Did the baby write this?" she thought about it as she glanced at the infant, whom pretended not to notice. She had to be sure though.

"Can you find more words, Eric?" Kazuha asked, as she handed him back the book and pen. When he held the book however, he flipped to a new page and began writing something in the word box's space.

"I could look for words…But I would much rather talk to you, Kazuha" Heiji wrote.

Kazuha read the message, and then asked aloud "You want to talk to me? But you haven't talked to me. We just met." Kazuha was quickly noticing something was weird about Eric.

Heiji began writing: "I actually _can_ talk, I'm just not fond of it. I've known you longer then you think, and my name isn't really Eric. Nor am I from Canada."

"Well, what is your real name then?" Kazuha asked.

After a pause, he responded aloud "It's 'Heiji'. Sorry, that I waited to tell you."

"Heiji…? But…if that's true…how did you get so small?" Kazuha gasped in shock, and Heiji explained to her what happened the night he disappeared; where he went, and why. He told her Kudo and Ai shared a similar fate, and why this should all be kept secret because of the Black Organization. Half way through the explanation, Kazuha picked up Heiji, and held him close, almost crying at one point.

"I was really worried about you" she said, sniffling, and still hugging the infant.

"I know" he said, and he returned the hug. "I probably shouldn't have told you, your life could be at risk. But all I can hope for is that I'm harder to recognize as an infant, and that the Black Organization limits its activity in Osaka. Anyways, you can't tell Ran or Kogoro; as the Organization is highly active in Tokyo. Kudo's been suffering all this time in silence, to keep the secret from Ran.

"If he's keeping it a secret, how did you find out?" Kazuha asked.

"I could see the clues Kudo was leaving; it wasn't hard for me to figure him out." Heiji joked. "Anyways, it's nice to see you again, Kazuha. Plenty of time to talk with ya while I'm over here."

"Nuh-uh, you're going back home" said Kazuha, as she stood up, still holding Heiji, and started to walk to the front door. "No boys sleeping over, it's mom's rule."

"Since when?!" Heiji protested. "Anyways, can't. 'No young children are to be left home alone for any length of time.' Country law" said Heiji, smiling slightly. "C'mon, it won't be so bad, it'll be like a sleepover between friends."

Heiji was noticing that he wasn't embarrassed of his baby voice in front of Kazuha, maybe because he had been friends with her for so long. She got his attention again when she put him down on the floor.

"Fine, stay here. But I'll only be serving you baby food" Kazuha said, looking for some in Heiji's bag while smiling mischievously.

"Didn't bring any, sorry" said Heiji, his smile turning into a grin.

"Dang it!" said Kazuha, as she put his belongings back in the bag. "I guess I'll just have to share dinner with you" she said, as she picked him up, carried him into the kitchen, and then placed him back on the floor.

Heiji stayed in the kitchen while Kazuha made dinner, to keep her company. When she was done, she carried the two plates of food and eating utensils out to the dining room, and then sat Heiji on the table. There were no decent chairs for Heiji to sit on at her house, they were too low. But there was enough room on the table for him to sit on, which made for a comfortable height.

With just the two of them in the house, they ate dinner together while listening to the cicada's humming outside.

end


End file.
